Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016 and previously worked for both Newshub and 1 News.
OPINION
As the post-mortem of the Black Caps’ dismal showing at the Twenty20 World Cup begins,making head coach Gary Stead the scapegoat is not the solution many think it will be.
On the surface, New Zealand didn’t enter this tournament with the same methodical approach that had seen them reach the semifinals in the past six limited-over World Cups.
That’s not up for debate.
This Black Caps side have fallen foul of the old adage: By failing to prepare you’re preparing to fail. Australia, who also had players arriving late to the tournament, managed two warm-ups – including one where two coaches took the field to make up the numbers.
New Zealand Cricket and the Black Caps were on the end of mixed messages from the ICC in this department, after a backflip over the availability of Ben Sears, the squad’s travelling reserve.
After initially being ruled ineligible to take part in a warm-up, Sears was cleared, but it was too late to arrange a fixture, given the logistics of travelling to the Caribbean.
However, it’s important to understand New Zealand Cricket has been painted into a corner in this department.
Boult in particular played in a T20 World Cup final, two ODI World Cup finals, and the World Test Championship final.
But in no uncertain terms, being able to maximise their earnings for their families saw their international careers take a back seat.
Should NZ Cricket have asked this Black Caps side to do the same, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the likes of Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell and Lockie Ferguson would steer closer to that decision, putting club before country.
This problem is shared by cricket administrators all over the world; it extends far beyond national coaches like Stead.
Cricket as a sport has moved so far past what the international game has to offer, to the point where players are now happy to forgo representing their country.
Countries cannot compete with the money IPL teams can offer players – and that league’s influence has expanded into South Africa, the West Indies, and even the USA through Major League Cricket.
Since 2021, the Black Caps have finished their home summers by putting out weakened sides against the likes of Bangladesh (2021), the Netherlands (2022) and Sri Lanka (2023) in order to let the stars travel to the IPL in late March.
Neither Stead, nor any head coach in the world game, can stop this shift towards franchises, as cricket’s paradigm shift becomes clearer and clearer.
New Zealand are not alone; the likes of South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies have already been ravaged by this in recent years. .
As and when the time comes that the IPL sides want to see franchise T20 as the only form of the game, no national board – including India – can stop them.
Sacking Stead would also be a flawed way to look at a fix, given the lack of an obvious replacement. One solution put forward by many seems to be replacing Stead with a former Black Caps captain to take over.
The likes of Stephen Fleming, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori have all been put forward to take charge of the Black Caps, be it fulltime or in a split between red and white ball sides.
The only issue there? No major coach will view the Black Caps job as one worth pursuing.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming. Photo / Photosport
Fleming, 51, seems the popular choice, but is currently tied up by IPL commitments with Chennai Super Kings, and their sister teams in Johannesburg and Texas.
Like the players, Fleming’s role allows him to spend time with his family away from the game, the same reason former coach Mike Hesson stepped away in 2018. The chances of Fleming giving up his high-paying jobs are slim at the very best.
On top of that, neither McCullum nor Vettori will leave their roles with England and Australia respectively any time soon.
If Stead were to go, NZ Cricket would likely be forced to promote from within, and hand the job to current assistant coach and former Black Cap Luke Ronchi, or Central Districts’ Glenn Pocknall, who has deputised in the past.
If there is no better alternative immediately available, NZ Cricket would be mad to throw the baby out with the bath water, especially when Stead only re-signed as Black Caps coach last year.
Stead has coached New Zealand to a world final in all three formats during his tenure. Regardless of the results in the Caribbean, you can’t deny he’s able to get the most out of the limited resources he has.
That’s the issue though: New Zealand’s domestic structure in T20 cricket is no longer fit for purpose.
Barring Tom Latham, Kyle Jamieson and Tom Blundell, the 16 players – including injury cover Ben Sears – were the best cricketers New Zealand have to offer.
For years, the disparity between our domestic T20 competition and offshore leagues has left New Zealand’s men’s and women’s sides vulnerable at the highest level.
A lack of international quality in our home league sees the next generation ill-prepared to compete straight away when they take the next step.
NZ Cricket, on the surface, says it’s comfortable with where the Super Smash stands as a competitive and commercial product.
However, if those failings aren’t addressed, it’s unfair to lump that on to the head coach of the national side.
Admittedly, whether or not Gary Stead is the right man for the job is a very valid question. However, his successor would likely face the same problems.
